A Whisper In The Wind
by Dreaming-Paradise
Summary: Discontinued. I've long forgotten the idea.
1. Allegiances

**Author's Note:**

I will be working on this story when I feel like I can write, I have writer's block and three of my original stories to finish as well as a commission. My characters in A Whisper In the Wind will seldom be realistic in appearances, so my apologies on that. This story is far from realistic. For now, have some information on the Clans.

 **Summary:  
** After a storm tore through the forest and destroyed their camps, CascadeClan and OnyxClan join together and begin a journey. Without StarClan to guide them, they are lost and haven't the slightest clue where they would find home again. Moons pass before StarClan contacts them again, but by then they have practically become one Clan and have found a place they call home. It comes to their attention that StarClan has blessed the kits of the two Clans with special gifts, signalling the change that is about to happen. Will it be a good change, or a bad change?

* * *

ALLEGIANCES:

 **CascadeClan**

 ** _Leader:_** Leopardstar - Spotted dark golden tom with green eyes. 3 lives left.

 ** _Deputy:_** Shadewhisker- Black tabby she-cat with a white spot on her neck.

 ** _Medicine Cat:_** Echospirit - Sun golden she-cat with a white underbelly and blue eyes.  
 ** _Apprentice:_** Hawkpaw

 ** _Warriors:_** Pikebreeze - Light golden she-cat with tabby brown stripes and amber eyes. _Apprentice:_ Sleetpaw  
Sparrowfall - Spotted brown tom with white toes and amber eyes.  
Ivydusk - Light grey she-cat with faint stripes and green eyes.  
Gingerswipe - Long-haired orange tabby tom. _Apprentice:_ Wolfpaw  
Leafpetal- Fluffy calico she-cat with green eyes.  
Mousepelt - Wirey brown tom with brown eyes.  
Spiderfang - Fluffy grey tabby tom.  
Ashheart - Mottled grey she-cat with white paws and green eyes.

 ** _Queens:_** Dusknose - Dusty brown she-cat with white speckles and black paws. (Expecting Gingerswipe's kits)  
Streamstep - Grey tabby she-cat with brown eyes. ( _Kits:_ Shadowkit(tom-kit), Squirrelkit(tom-kit), and Harekit(she-kit)) Mate to an unknown tom  
Mistleaf - Light grey she-cat with white and grey speckles (Mother to Rabbitkit(she-kit), Whisperkit(she-kit), and Snowkit(she-kit) Mate to Sparrowfall

 _ **Apprentices:**_ Sleetpaw - Speckled white tom with amber eyes.  
Wolfpaw - Dark stone grey she-cat with white spots under her eyes.  
Hawkpaw - Dark brown tom with tabby stripes and yellow eyes.

 ** _Elders:_** Owlsniff - Scraggly brown tom with unruly fur.  
Tigerwhisker - White and brown she-cat.

* * *

 **OnyxClan**

 _ **Leader:**_ _Eaglestar -_ Golden brown she-cat with a paler underbelly. 8 lives left.

 _ **Deputy:**_ _Lionfur -_ Ginger tom with tabby stripes and amber eyes. _Apprentice:_ Birchpaw

 ** _Medicine Cat:_** Cherryfern - Light cream she-cat with a red hue to her fur.  
 ** _Apprentice:_** Blazepaw

 ** _Warriors:_** Rippleriver - Grey tom with white paws and bright green eyes.  
Flintspot - Simple grey she-cat with greyish eyes.  
Darksight - Raven black tom with dull brown eyes. _Apprentice:_ Birdpaw  
Cedarmist - Light brown she-cat with misted white paws and jasper eyes.  
Alderbreeze - Brown tom with black stripes and dark brown eyes.  
Stonebriar - Blue-grey tom with faint tabby stripes and amber eyes.  
Aspenheart - Tabby she-cat with golden hues in her fur and amber eyes.

 ** _Queens:_** Crowfur - Black she-cat with orange eyes. (Mother to Pebblekit and Buzzardkit) Mate to Darksight.  
Doveswipe - Purebred Russian Blue, former kittypet. (Mother to Bluekit, Cootkit, Cloudkit, and Goosekit) Mate to Stonebriar

 **Apprentices:**  
Blazepaw- Orange tom with a white muzzle.  
Birdpaw - Fluffy speckled grey tom  
Birchpaw - Dark brown she-cat with white paws.

 _ **Elders:**_ Trouttalon - Silvery brown tom with blind hazel eyes and multiple scars.

* * *

 **Outcasts/Kittypets/Rogues:**

Witheredstride - Scruffy brown tom with notched ears and amber eyes.  
Spot - Black and white kittypet.  
Fluffy - White kittypet.


	2. Prologue

She still remembered the smell of her mother's milk and the warmth of her siblings cuddled next to her; fighting for the same milk source, she remembered her litter-mates climbing all over her, she remembered the rough feeling of her mother's tongue running over her head and cleaning up her face after she'd finished nursing. But there had always been a cold chill in the air; a chilly draft that floated around them. There had always been the scent of fear radiating off their mother, it increased each and every time she returned from hunting. It wasn't until she felt one of her siblings' bodies disappear from next to her did she understand. At the time, her eyes were just barely opening her world was a blurry blob.

It was a vague memory, but the she-cat could just barely recall what looked like a cat running out of the shelter with her sibling. Pretty soon, she and her brother had been the only ones left in the nest. Their mother never left their side until they had begun to walk and run, by that time her body had deteriorated tremendously. The she-cat remembered seeing the queen's ribs, her hip bones jutting out along with her shoulder blades, she recalled the faded and tired, but proud, expression on their mother's face when they had began to run and play. Had the queen always been that thin? She couldn't remember, but she did know that she awoke one day to see her mother padding into their home with a dead mouse. She seemed to be worn out and the second she'd reached them; she had collapsed. The pretty she-cat remembered that their mother had been having bad luck catching anything to eat there recently. It seemed like their lives were at stake before she returned with the bony mouse.

Yes, it had been thin, but it was enough to silence her and her brother's stomachs for a least a few hours. Hope had been long lost after a few more unsuccessful hunts... That is, until a young tabby tom a well-fed belly, and sparkling amber eyes had entered their nest. The calico remembered trying to wake her starved mother up to tell her a stranger had come; she never woke up. "Your mother has passed, young ones..." The tom's syrupy voice would never leave her mind, "I promise I won't hurt you," the tom's voice was gentle as he spoke, "I have come to bring you back to your home. Your Clan." Silence. "There will be food there. Lots of food." What was a Clan? They hadn't understood it at first, but they grudgingly followed the tom.

If it meant food... Then they would gladly obey. Their stomachs rumbled at the thought of digging into some freshly killed prey, ripping the skin off and gulping it down, they could already taste the warm blood on their taste-buds. The young calico remembered following the tom into a clearing, her paws aching from the amount of walking she had done to get there, and she would never forget how many eyes and turned to look at her and her brother. A tom with graying fur had approached and nudged them into a den where they applied chewed up herbs and cobwebs to their wounds, then gave them a tasty meal once they were done with the treatment. In no time, she had been up and running around; already making new friends with the other cats. She was sent to a den called the nursery when she got better and she was adopted by a light grey she-cat who had kits around her age.

Her brother, however, never seemed to get better. He had looked like he was fading away... Just like their mother. The calico didn't remember what the medicine cat had said, but she did recall him mentioning that she'd just barely avoided catching the contagious illness from her brother. According to the tom whom had saved their lives, it had been the same sickness that killed their mother.

But didn't she die from starvation? The calico shook her head, the she-cat had been an alley cat. A stray, clanless cat, there were probably many things wrong with her. Who knows how many diseases she carried. She couldn't help but to feel sorrow when she remembered the lifeless body of her mother. Next, was the dead body of her brother. She wasn't allowed to sit vigil when he was buried. According to the Clan's medicine cat; that was more than likely a good thing. She would have never seen him the same again.

"Hey! Are you awake?"

The calico shifted her hazel eyes and her vision cleared, snapping her back into reality. She rose to her paws and gave the tom at the den entrance a brief nodded before lifting herself up and onto her paws; she gave her pelt a quick shake and padded into the clearing. Today was a new today; she had to put the past behind her. Of course, she would never forget her dear brother, Jaykit, or her sweet and loving mother. She wouldn't let their deaths stop her; she had friends all around her, she had friends who were close enough to be called siblings. She was right where she belonged.


	3. Welcome to CascadeClan

\"Every kit with their eyes open gather here for a Clan meeting!"

A black kit stood atop a moss-covered rock inside the nursery, his head held high and his tail lashing behind him. He had seen their leader stand above their Clan many times, and he was copying his stance the best he could. Below him, the kits gathered with their mothers watching behind them with amused smiles on their faces. The tom-kit smiled down at his denmates and friends, "I, Shadowstar, have an announcement." He paused and his face twisted, showing that he was in deep thought before he spoke again, his brave, but tiny voice ringing across the nursery. "There is a savage OnyxClan kit at the border, threatening to rip our Clan to shreds! I have chosen three kits to go and kill them! They want to hurt our mothers!"

To the side of the group was a bob-tailed brown she-kit, her claws unsheathed and her maw parted, ready to fight. "Oh no!" One of the queens cried, stifling her laughter, "Help me! I can't defend myself!" Shadowkit called out three names and the kits raced towards their enemy, yowling and growling echoed through the nursery. In the kits' eyes, it was ferocious battle of death, but in the queen's eyes, it was an adorable playfight between their kits. They would stop the game if it reached a certain point.

"I will rip you apart, OnyxClanner!" A fluffy white she-kit yowled as she slammed her paw down on the other kit's face, her amber eyes clouding with worry when her friend released a loud yowl. "Harekit! Are you okay?" She asked, examining the brown she-kit carefully. A grey tabby queen's ears perked up at the sound of the yowl and she rose from her nest, quickly making her way over to her kit and giving Harekit's face a gentle washing. "I didn't want to hurt her..." The white kit's ears pinned back as the queen's brown eyes glared in her direction.

"You see?" The queen snapped at the other she-cat's behind her, earning a sigh from them, "This is why kits shouldn't fight until they are apprentices!" This was the queen's first litter, so it was understandable that she was protective of them.

"Streamstep, it's just a small scratch. Echospirit can put some cobwebs on it and it'll heal quickly, it won't scar." A speckled grey and white she-cat meowed to her Clanmate quietly, gesturing for her kits to return to her side. Shadowkit, who was still perched upon his rock, mewed his agreement to his mother, only to receive a hiss in response. His ears flattened against his head and his black fur spiked up, he slowly slipped off of the mossy boulder and trudged to Streamstep's side with his brother, Squirrelkit.

Streamstep lifted her head high and glared at her Clanmate, "Just a scratch? What if your damned Snowkit took Harekit's eye out, what then, Mistleaf?" Mistleaf's fur slowly rose and she hissed at Streamstep, curling her tail around her confused kits. Just as she was about to snap back and explain that her daughter would do no such thing, a silhouette cast over the nursery as the moss draped over the opening parted. A golden tabby she-cat stood there with a small kit dangling from her maw. Streamstep didn't look too pleased to see the new blood joining them, "I thought I smelled something foul around here... A darn alley cat's kit? That waste of fur doesn't belong here!"

"Zip it, mouse-brain!" The golden she-cat set the kit down and nudged it towards Mistleaf, asking the queen to care for the young kit. She could now get a good look at the little one; the new blood was a small calico female with a splotched pelt and a single spot on the back of her neck. Her face was rather unique, orange tabby stripes on one side stretching down towards her paws, and grey tabby stripes on the other side. She had a white underbelly that spread up to her muzzle and between her eyes, stopped by tabby stripes mixed in with the colorful fur.

Mistleaf nodded. "What is your name little one?" She asked the she-kit as Streamstep hurdled her kits away to the corner of the nursery. Snowkit and her sister, Rabbitkit, poked their heads up over the queen's tail to greet their new denmate. Snowkit climbed over Mistleaf's tail and approached the kit, she introduced herself and her sister. The tiny kit smiled weakly, her response was barely audible.

"My name is Whisper..."

Harekit shoved her head out from under Shadowkit's belly and she smiled, she rose to her paws to greet the new kit. "Hello! My name's -" she was cut off my Streamstep's tail slapping over her maw, silencing her. The she-kit released a small sigh and returned to her brothers' sides, ignoring the worried look Snowkit was sending her. "Sorry, Streamstep..." She whispered to the grey tabby that was her mother, casting an apologetic glance to Whisper.

The calico she-kit sat with her tail curled around her paws and her head drooping, "I'm sorry..." Whisper mewed sadly, feeling as though she'd upset the she-cat somehow, "Pikebreeze said I needed to stay here because my brother is ill."

Streamstep's brown eyes snapped towards the kit and she released a loud, menacing hiss. "Of course, you're an alley cat's kit! Your breed is full of diseases!" She nosed her three offspring to the corner of the den and lay in front of them as if Whisper would approach her babies, "I will not let you infect my little ones!" Her gaze was practically glowing with hatred towards the calico kit.

Mistleaf sighed and stood to her paws, allowing her kits to follow her as she approached Whisper and she gave her a quick sniff. "She smells rather well to me," Mistleaf informed her denmate, sparing an apologetic glance to the expecting queen towards the far side of the den. Poor Dusknose was days away from giving birth and she had to deal with Streamstep's bullshit. "Well Whisper," Mistleaf looked down at her new kit, "consider me your mother and call me Mistleaf. Snowkit and Rabbitkit are your sisters now, you'll never be alone again with all us around here."

Whisper lifted her head shyly to meet Mistleaf's hazel eyes and a worried expression crossed her features, "But what about Jay? He's my brother and he's all alone right now." Mistleaf had caught a familiar whiff of death from the kit's pelt, she'd clearly spent half of her time here cuddled next to her dying brother. The queen's ears pinned back and just as she went to explain what had happened, a yowl outside the nursery caught her attention.

The kits' ears perked up and their whiskers twitched with excitement, Mistleaf quietly whispered to Dusknose that she would gather information for her. The kits gathered at the entrance to the nursery, leaving a very puzzled Whisper sitting in the center of the den. "Come, little one..." The speckled grey queen gave the tiny cat a small nudge, wanting her to join her new denmates. Streamstep reluctantly padded up to sit behind her kits as an attempt to stray Whisper from them.

Leopardstar had called for a Clan meeting, and Shadewhisker was sitting at the base of the rock. Once the Clan was gathered, he began to speak with his raspy and cracking voice. The golden tom wasn't a young cat at all. "As most of you can already tell, we have a new member of our Clan. Spiderfang found two kits out in the alley whilst searching for food and their mother had passed away earlier that day; he brought them back to the Clan and one of the kits, sent to StarClan as Jaykit, passed away due an unknown illness." The tom's eyes landed on Whisper and he beckoned her forward, the Clan's attention turned to the calico as she silently trudged away from Mistleaf.

Whisper's chest was aching and another sharp pain was sent rolling through her when she cast a look towards the medicine cat's den; her brother's corpse was in there... Jaykit hadn't made it. She should've known that with how silent he'd been.

Leopardstar hopped down from his perch to meet her and Whisper's fur spiked up, he offered her a weary, but gentle, smile. "Today I call upon my warrior ancestors of StarClan to welcome our newest member to CascadeClan, from this day forth until she receives her warrior name this kit will be named Whisperkit." The tom's nose touched her forehead and she felt warmth rush through her. "Welcome to the Clan, young one."

He turned to approach his rock again and Whisperkit heard the sound of claws scraping the soil beneath them, she turned to see a trio of kits waiting eagerly. On what... She didn't know. Mistleaf cast a proud smile towards the calico and she couldn't help but to smile back. She returned to the she-cat as Leopardstar summon the trio of kits forward, Whisperkit could see the scowl on Streamstep's face as her three gathered around her.

Whisperkit snuggled into Mistleaf on instinct, proceeding to watch the gathering in silence. She was home...


	4. The Dream

_**Chapter Two:  
**_

Four sunrises had passed since Whisperkit had joined the Clan and she'd settled in quite nicely, but she always seemed to get rather reserved when her brother was mentioned. Leopardstar had allowed her to sit vigil for Jaykit, although it was against traditions. Ever since she'd joined the kits in the nursery, she'd been hearing stories about some place called StarClan. She was told her brother had been accepted there and he was no longer ill, they weren't so sure about their mother being she was a loner.

Mistleaf said that she and her new sisters would be the next to be apprenticed after Hawkpaw, Sleetpaw, and Wolfpaw had received their names, then Streamstep's three. When asked how old she was, Whisperkit wasn't so sure. After a few questions were asked, the Clan confirmed that she and her brother were around three or four moons old. Snowkit and Rabbitkit were three moons old, but the calico kitten would be apprenticed at the same time they were.

With her time in the Nursery she'd gotten a good look at her denmates and a did some observation of their personalities; Shadowkit was a boisterous young tom who spread his spirit all across the camp, he was always full of energy and he'd made it more than clear that his dream was to become the leader of CascadeClan. Rabbitkit was a sweet she-cat who made sure everyone felt welcome in their den, her upbeat personality could bring a smile to anycat's face.

Snowkit was a warrior at heart, she was already proving to be a loyal and trustworthy friend to the kits in the nursery. Shadowkit offered to make her the deputy if he became leader someday, but the she-cat politely turned the offer down. Harekit seemed to have her attention set on becoming the Clan's medicine cat, but she was willing to become a warrior if required. Squirrelkit insisted on becoming the Clan's most loyal warrior and was convinced he'd rip anycat to shreds if they threatened his Clan.

"Hey, Whisperkit! Want to play Warrior with us?" The calico's attention snapped towards Shadowkit, who was sitting atop the boulder in the corner of the nursery wearing a broad smile, "Snowkit wants to be a warrior this time, so you can be a deputy!" It turns out, Snowkit only accepts the offer of becoming the deputy when playing Warrior. Whisperkit shook her head as a response, informing her denmates that she didn't want to play.

Shadowkit frowned and hopped off the boulder to approach the calico she-kit, "Come on, please?" He begged, "A leader needs a deputy, there's never a leader without a deputy. I can help you out, if you'd like."

Before Whisperkit could respond to the tom, a figure loomed over them and the two kits looked up to meet the amber eyes of Sleetpaw. The newly appointed apprentice had come to deliver prey for Dusknose and had overheard their conversation, "She probably thinks your cute little game of Warriors is mouse-brained," the speckled tom snorted, displeased with the idea of an unknown blood in his Clan, "I'll never know why Leopardstar allowed her to become one of us."

Shadowkit's fur fluffed up and he hissed at the older tom, "Sleetpaw! Be nice or I'll... I'll... I'll tell Ashheart you're being mean!"

Steelpaw chuckled and pat the small ball of fluff with his tail, "Good luck, Ashheart doesn't care what I do." There was a brief hint of sadness in the tom's amber gaze as he stared down at the kits, but he blinked it away as he started for the nursery's exit.

When the apprenticed left the den, Whisperkit looked at Shadowkit with confusion in her hazel green eyes. "Who is Ashheart?" She asked curiously with a cute flick of her ears. Harekit bounded up beside her brother with a smile on her maw.

"Ashheart is Mistleaf's sister, she's a really pretty she-cat! A great warrior, too!" Harekit explained excitedly, but then her ears pinned to her skull and she looked down, "Streamstep wants me to become a warrior, but I really want to become a medicine cat. I don't want to hurt anybody..."

Shadowkit pressed his nose to his sister's pelt and offered her a smile, "Streamstep will be proud of you no matter what you become, and so will me and Squirrelkit!" The black tom reassured the bobbed-tail, brown she-kit. Whisperkit offered her denmates a tiny smile before getting to her paws to approach the nursery's exit. "If you want to play, let us know!" Shadowkit and Harekit scrambled back to the other kits as Whisperkit sat down to wait on Mistleaf.

She could see her adoptive mother from outside the nursery; she was speaking to spotted brown tom she assumed was Sparrowfall, Snowkit and Rabbitkit's father. She leaned in closer, her head peeking over the small ridge that kept the queens and kits safe from floods. She twitched her ears, listening to the two cats.

Sparrowfall's deep voice caught her attention first, "I'm sorry, Mistleaf, but I'm not going to adopt some alley-cat's kit..." That stung her heart.

Mistleaf's voice was gentle and reasonable, "Please, give her a chance. We're all she has now, she's lost her family." Hope surged through Whisperkit at the sound of that.

"Very well," Sparrowfall sighed, accepting that he'd lost, "but this doesn't mean I'm her father." He replied with a defeated tone as he turned to pad away. Just at that moment, Whisperkit leaned too far off the ridge and she tumbled down. Thankfully, the dropoff wasn't that high and she was unharmed. Sparrowfall's attention turned towards her and he swallowed his chuckle as a very worried Mistleaf approached her.

"Whisperkit, are you okay?" She asked, giving the calico a quick examination before rasping her tongue over her face, "You could have hurt yourself!" The kit sat up and leaned away, drawing her paw over her forehead and snout before lifting her hazel eyes to meet Mistleaf's. She nodded and the speckled she-cat bumped her side, telling her to return to the nursery.

Behind her, a long-haired stone-grey she-cat watched with amusement sparkling in her gaze, but when Whisperkit felt eyes on her and looked over her shoulder to see who it was, the cat was gone. "What is it, Whisperkit?" Mistleaf asked, lifting her head to see what her adoptive daughter was looking at. The calico shook her head, informing her that it was nothing.

After Mistleaf had left the nursery again, Whisperkit had requested to join her denmates' games, Shadowkit had been more than willing to allow her to play. She could feel Streamstep's glare of disapproval, but she knew the she-cat wasn't going to do anything. The kits played until they grew weary and snuggled up against their mothers for the night.

 **That Night**

 _Whisperkit wasn't sure where she was, all she knew was that she'd opened her eyes to find herself in a hole of complete darkness and silence. She'd called out once or twice for anybody, just somebody to help her. She felt like she'd wandered for miles, but she'd come across nothing and it seemed that her surroundings only grew darker as she walked. "Hello? Shadowkit? Harekit? Mistleaf?" She mewed quietly, panic started to roll through her. She'd been learning about StarClan and someplace called the Place of No Stars; was that where she was? Had she done something wrong and had ended up in the dark to roam aimlessly for moons to come? "I'm very sorry if I did something bad..."  
_

 _She didn't want to be here, her heart was racing and she was started to feel cramped and confined. She was scared, and her trembling body was a clear give away. "Please, give me another chance..."_

 _She felt warmth bubble inside of her when she heard another kit's voice calling out in the darkness, she wasn't alone! "Hello? I'm here! Who are you?" She yowled, hoping they could hear her. Another unfamiliar voice echoed from behind her and she spun around, her fur fluffed up and her eyes in slits._

 _"Relax, kits," it was a tom's voice, soothing and relaxing, "you are not in trouble." A bright golden light flashed before Whisperkit's eyes and she squinted as a glowing orange and white tom approached her. She could now feel the presence of many other kits. Shadowkit and Rabbitkit's scents were nearby, and the familiar smell relaxed her. She was not alone... Whisperkit looked around for her friend and her sister, only to find she was still surrounded by darkness._

 _"My name is Lightspring," his pupil-less_ _heterochromia eyes seemingly locked on Whisperkit, but it was clear he was looking at all of the kits. "Listen closely;_ Disaster draws near as new opportunities are surfaced; one will defy the odds and come out on top, but not as you once knew them... _" The tom closed his eyes, "The Clans will come to an end as you know them, but fear not, a new life awaits you."_

 _Now, Whisperkit could see the other kits around her. Shadowkit was right at her side and Rabbitkit was not far away, Snowkit and Harekit were side-by-side and Squirrelkit could be found with another trio of unfamiliar kits. Before the calico could get a good look at the new kits, she was awoken._

"Somebody fetch Echospirit, now!"

Her head snapped up in sync with Snowkit's, Rabbitkit lay with her head on her littermate's paws with her eyes wide open. Shadowkit had scrambled out of his nest, waking his brother and sister. The kits' attention drifted towards Dusknose, who seemed to be very uncomfortable and in serious pain. As Streamstep fled the nursery to alert their medicine cat, Harekit stood to approach the expecting queen.

"Dusknose, what's wrong?" Harekit asked, her tiny voice full of concern. "Are you hurt?" Dusknose didn't respond, seemingly being in too much pain to have heard the worried she-kit. At that moment, Gingerswipe came running into the nursery with a long leap, he approached his mate and put his nose to her shoulder. Mistleaf had started to herd the kits outside, she took Harekit by the scruff and set her outside the nursery.

Echospirit entered the cave with a mouthfull of herbs a few moments later, "What's wrong?" Shadowkit asked, fearing for Dusknose's life, "Is she gonna be okay?" Mistleaf drew her kits to her side as Streamstep returned, the grey tabby that was his mother explained that the kits would have new denmates soon. Shadowkit groaned, "Oh StarClan, please let it be toms! There are too many she-kits here!"

Streamstep's tail flicked him in the head and the black tom huffed. Quietly, they awaited the arrival of their new friends.

* * *

 **[Late] Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/Happy New Year!**

 **Apologies for the late update! Like I said, I'll work on this story when I feel up to it. So, did you enjoy the new chapter?**


	5. OnyxClan

_**Chapter Three:  
**_ **OnyxClan**

 _"Has anybody seen Bearstar or Owlcloud?"_

 _"No, come to think of it, I haven't."_

 _It was three days after the Gathering and the Clans were preparing for the coming drought Cherryfern and Reedstorm had predicted. No cat had seen OnyxClan's leader, Bearstar all day. According to the deputy, Eaglewhisker, they had gone out on a hunt together and their leader had said he'd be back before sundown. The sun had been setting for a while and daylight was nearly gone, there was still zero sightings of the dusty old tom._

 _"Wildpaw, Goldenpaw, and Frostpaw haven't shown up for their training today, either." A silvery brown tom announced as he approached the worried group of cats, his own eyes clouded with concern for Bearstar. All eyes turned to him as Eaglewhisker quickly darted off towards the highrock, deciding it was time to stop waiting around for the family to return. They had to find them, they could be severely injured and bleeding out. It was strange that none of the patrols had come across them during midday, but that didn't mean they weren't in the territory._

 _The young she-cat Eaglefeather called out to arrange search parties, keeping a few of the warriors at camp for the slightest chance Bearstar and his family would return while they were gone. Within a few minutes, three patrols had been sent out to hunt down their leader. Eaglewhisker led a patrol made up of two warriors and an apprentice, their fur was standing up and their bodies were tense and prepared to evade an attack. During the drought, prey was scarce, as well as water. It was possible a CascadeClanner or any other predator could go mad and try to harm them._

 _The smell of blood reached the cats' noses as well as the scent of death, faintly mixed with Bearstar's. Eaglewhisker started to imagine the worst scenario, the tom had been on his last life and the fact none of them had returned... Cherryfern's message saying she felt as though something horrible would occur soon ran through her head._

 _Eaglewhisker's guard dropped as she stepped through a thicket, following the smell to find..._

 _"Oh StarClan..." A black she-cat whispered as she came to Eaglewhisker's side, followed by Alderpaw and Stonebriar. "This is the bad that Cherryfern spoke of," Crowfur turned her gaze to Eaglewhisker, "do you think it's an omen...? A really bad one?"_

 _Laying in front of them was Bearstar and his family, his three sons off to the side in pools of their own blood, his mate sprawled across him as if she'd tried to stop the bleeding, and Bearstar himself on his belly with his dull, lifeless eyes just barely cracked open. His body was beaten and battered, proving the brave tom had put up a fight until his last few moments of life, but he also looked distraught and broken. Clearly he had seen his own sons slaughtered in front of him..._

 _Eaglewhisker's eyes traveled to the apprentices and pain stabbed her in the heart._ They would have been such great warriors... _She thought as she hung her head, she heard the other patrols padded up behind them and small, heartwrenching gasps filled the area. "May they run the lush lands of StarClan..." Eaglewhisker breathed._

Eaglestar's eyes slowly opened as the memory faded away from her mind, their previous leader had passed away during a tough time for OnyxClan, leaving the young she-cat with a terrible burden. They had been forced to relocate soon after Bearstar's death when a sudden flood crashed through, and the strange part was that the Clans' medicine cats had received news about a drought. Instead, they faced the difficulty of escaping rushing water and rain. A few cats had begun to doubt Cherryfern, who was just as confused as the rest of the Clan.

"Eaglestar?" The she-cat lifted her head to see her deputy, a ginger tabby tom. "Rippleriver and his patrol just returned," ah yes, she'd arranged patrols earlier that morning as Lionfur had been in the medicine cat's den, "Alderbreeze informed me that Witheredstride's scent is stale. At least a few days old."

Witheredstride was Eaglestar's littermate, and he had been banished from the Clan for disloyalty. As much as it pained the golden she-cat, she made it clear that if he was ever to return, he would be killed. Relief washed through her when the realization she would not have her brother's blood on her claws struck her. "That is good news," Eaglestar responded with a small smile, "hopefully he found a nice place to stay. I do not wish death upon him."

The deputy nodded quietly and made to exit the den, but he was stopped by Eaglestar. He turned to look at her as she spoke, sitting up and stretching to wake her body. "How is Bluekit?" She

Lionfur smiled at the mention of the kit's name and he turned to face his leader, "He's doing great, he isn't coughing anymore and is almost back to his old self." Lionfur was quite fond of the young tom, and wished to take him on as an apprentice when the kit was old enough to be apprenticed.

Stonebriar often joked that his son seen Lionfur as a father more than himself.

"That's good," Eaglestar meowed as she exited her den, "I was afraid we would lose another kit." Lionfur's ears pinned back. During leafbare, Cedarmist had given birth to a single kit, a young tom-kit. Unfortunately, the kit had passed a few days after birth, leaving Cedarmist and Lionfur heartbroken. "Will you two try for another litter someday?"

The deputy's eyes stray towards his mate, who was speaking to another she-cat at the entrance of the warriors' den. "Whenever she's ready, yes." It'd only been a quarter-moon since the kit's passing. Cedarmist was still broken over her son's death, and Lionfur didn't want to pressure her. "She needs some time to grieve."

Eaglestar placed her tail across her friend's back comfortingly, "You both do." She gave a quick scan of camp before releasing a breath, the fresh-kill pile was nearly empty and prey was becoming scarce. One of their queens, Crowfur, had just given birth to a litter of kits a few days prior.

She wondered how Crowfur was going to care for her kits as prey became scarcer and scarcer. It was strange, it was newleaf and prey should be coming around more. "I would hate to overhunt our territory," Eaglestar mewed quietly, catching Lionfur's attention, "but we have two nursing queens in the nursery. Arrange a hunting patrol, Lionfur, I need to have a talk with Cherryfern."

Without waiting on Lionfur's reply, the she-cat turned and immediately started for the medicine cat's den. She greeted Blazepaw as the tom exited the den with a mouthful of dried leaves, "Morning, Blazepaw," the tom's response was a muffled greeting, "is Cherryfern inside?" The orange apprentice nodded and the leader entered through the leaf-covered entrance.


End file.
